1: These Really Are Pirates Who Do Something
They tell Junior Asparagus that it is important to stay in school and get a good education so he is able to do what God wants him to to.
After the pirates play ping pong up on deck, they decide to go below and take a nap... because... well, they don't do anything. Unfortunately, their slumber is disturbed by someone knocking on their door. The story drags a bit when the pirates take their time seeing who is there.
Somehow, Junior Asparagus got onto the ship and declared he would like to be a pirate who doesn't do anything. Not doing anything seems more fun then having to go to school and do homework. The pirates try to convince junior that "school is important for pirates in training".
The book delivers a good message about needing to stay in school, although I would have liked to see more of the story focus on that area. The pictures are colorful and interesting although, Junior's... um... hair... looks too rounded on top. He's an asparagus. A couple pictures make him look like he has a cabbage head.
It would have been nicer to see the lesson of getting an education spread more throughout the book, rather than just at the end. There was only one small mention about God being involved in any of this and that was a bit of a disappointment. We always look to Veggie Tales for a Christian lesson and this book seems to lack that a bit.
This book was written, in part, by Mike Nawrocki who seems to focus more on the silly aspects of Veggie Tales while Phil Vischer appeared to have more of a handle on the biblical lesson that could be learned. Now that Phil Vischer is less involved in his vegetable creations, I hope the current leadership of Big Idea, Inc. still retains the strong Christian messages that made Veggie Tales so appealing in the first place.
My kids seemed to like it and it ultimately delivers a good message.
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